Chinese pilot ignores landing orders
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Juneyao Airlines aircraft
Reports are emerging from China that a pilot refused to give landing priority to an endangered aircraft with just five-minutes worth of fuel left on board.
The pilot of a Juneyao Airlines flight refused to give way to a Qatar Airways flight which had issued a distress call, complaining it was running low on fuel. Qatar Airways flight QR888 was waiting to land at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport in bad weather on 13 August, reports the Shanghai Daily, when it put in a Mayday call to air traffic control requesting to land at Hongqiao International Airport instead. The Juneyao Airlines flight refused to give way, however, saying it too was low on fuel.
It was later discovered the Chinese aircraft had sufficient fuel to circle for another hour, while the Qatar flight had just five minutes worth of fuel remaining. Air traffic control rearranged landing orders to secure a safe landing of the Qatari plane, but Civil Aviation Administration of China has since launched an investigation into the pilot’s refusal to comply with orders. While the investigation is on going, Juneyao has suspended the crew who face losing their licences and a fine.
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